Things have changed and you may be eligible now
Learn more about the changes to eligibility
There's been changes to eligibility relating to sexual activity, people who lived in the UK in the 90s, people who've recently had a tattoo and more.
Common past deferrals
- UK changes
People who lived in the United Kingdom for over 6 months between 1980 and 1996 can now give blood in Australia. Yep, blood donors from the UK are A-OK!
- LGBTQIA+ eligibility
The rules around sexual activity and blood donation have recently changed. Now, more Australians can change lives.
Previous rules meant many gay and bisexual men and some transgender people couldn’t donate.
Well, now they can. Gay and bisexual men and more trans people can now give blood or plasma.
- Low haemoglobin
In most cases, you will be eligible to donate once your results are back in the normal range. It does however depend on the cause and how long ago you had your tests. Please contact us to discuss your eligibility.
- Tattoos
If you got it in a licensed tattoo parlour in Australia, you can give plasma straight away and blood just one week later. If it was overseas or in a mate’s backyard, you’ll need to wait a little longer.
- Travel
New donors won’t be asked to remember every holiday they’ve ever been on in the last 3 years. Instead, we’ll focus on travel within the last four months, which is the most relevant period for assessing acute malaria risk.
Why four months? Because malaria infections can take time to develop, and four months provides an important safety buffer.
If a donor has travelled to a malaria risk area, we’ll ask them to only donate plasma for the next 120 days. That’s because their plasma can be processed into 18 different life-saving treatments, and the processing eliminates any risk of malaria transmission. After 120 days, it’s your call – blood or plasma are both available.